Controller for spring-actuated gear-wheels.



PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

A. HILLGREN. CONTROLLER FOR SPRING AOTUATED GEAR WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 9. 1902.

NO MODEL.

fig: 2

Patented September 6, 1904.

ANDREAS HlLLG-REN, OF NFJV YORK, N. Y.

CONTROLLER FOR SPRING-ACTUATED GEAR-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,544, dated September 6, 1904, Application filed October 9,1902. Serial No. 126,459. No modeljl To (L71 whom, it 'nmy concern.-

Be it known that I, Amnmas I-IILLGREN, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Controller for Spring-Actuated (wearheels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to spring-motors for watches,clocks, m usic-boxes,a11d other springcontrolled apparatus; and its object is to pro- A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is an enlarged plan view of the improvement as applied to a watch-movement, part of the spring-barrel being broken out; and Fig. 2 is a like view of a modilicd form of the improvement.

The spring-barrel A, driven in the direction of the arrow (1 by the uncoiling force of a mainspring A, is provided with the usual great wheel B, in mesh with the pinion C of a center wheel C, meshing with the pinion D of a third wheel 1), which in turn meshes with the pinion E of a fourth wheel E, in mesh with the pinion of a scape-wheel (not shown) having the usual connection with the balancewhecl of the watch. The center wheel 0 and its pinion C have their staff journaled on the free end of a brake-lever F, fulcrumed loosely on the arbor G of the spring-barrel A, and the said free end of the brake-lever F has a brake-arm F in frictional contact with the peripheral surface of a brake-wheel H, se-

cured on the staff D of the third wheel D previously mentioned. Now when the mainspring A is wound up and the barrel A, with the great wheel B, rotates in the direction of the arrow 1/, then a rotary motion is given to the pinion (1 and the center wheel C to actuate the train of gear-wheels connected with the scape-wheel, and as the staff U of the said center wheel is journaled in the brake-lever F it is evident that a swinging motion is given to this lever in the direction of the arrow 11, so as to press the arm F with more or less force in contact with the brake-wheel H, held on the staff I) of the third wheel D, so that the train of gear-wheels is braked according to the force with which the lever F is swung over in the direction of the arrow (1. Now this force is greatest when the spring A is fully wound up and gradually diminishes as the mainspring r runs down, and hencea uniform running of the train of gear-wheels is insured irrespective of the strength of the unwinding or uncoiling force of the mainspring.

A spring I, fulcrumed at 1 on the frame J of the movement presses with its free end on a pin 1, held on the lever F, so as to move the arm F thereof out of frictional contact with the brake-wheel H as the mainspring A runs down, to allow a gradual freer running of the train of gear-wheels, so as to maintain its uniform speed irrespective of the uncoiling force of the mainspring. The tension of the springI is regulated by providing the said spring with an arm 1 engaged by a turnable plug 1, as indicated in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the action of the brake-lever F on the brake-wheel H depends entirely on the uncoiling force of the mainspring A, and the brake mechanism described can be arranged on different wheels of the train of gear-wheels connecting the spring-barrel with the scape-wheel. For instance, as shown in Fig. 2, the center whecl C is journaled in the usual manner in the frame J of the movement, while the staff I) of the third wheel and its pinion D is journaled in a spring-arm F, secured at F" to the frame J of the movement. The spring-arm F is provided with a brake-arm F in frictional contact with the peripheral surface of a brake-wheel H, secured on the staff E of the fourth wheel, it being understood that the rotation of the center wheel G in the direction of the arrow F) has a tendency to press the brake-arm F in contact with the brakewheel H, and as the mainspring runs down this force diminishes and the braking action between the brake-arm F on the brake-wheel H becomes gradually less.

It is understood that in watches, for instance, a defective poising of the balance is insensible, or nearly so, as long as the balance-wheel is in a horizontal position; but the defective poising becomes more and more apparent as the balance-wheel is inclined from a horizontal to a vertical position, and in the latter position the defective poising reaches its maximum if the vibration of the balance is over or under a swing of four hundred and forty degrees. This is mainly due to the varying force of the mainspring A during the time the mainspring runs down; but as with my improvement a uniform running of the train of gear-wheels is insured it is evident that a defective poising of the watch-balance does not afiect the accurate running of the watch when the balance can be controlled to a vibration of four hundred and forty degrees in twenty-four to forty-eight hours or more.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels, comprising a brake-wheel forming a rigid part of one of the wheels of the train, and a movable brake-block movable into contact with said brake-wheel, said block carrying the axle of another one of the wheels of the train, means for pressing said brakeblock in a direction tending to hold it out of frictional engagement with said brake-wheel, said brake-block extending from said supported axle and the brake-wheel to form a connecting link between the two, whereby the propelling force of the train exerted upon said axle will tend to move said brake-block and thereby establish a frictional contact between the parts connected by said brake-block whereby to retard the movement of the train.

2. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear wheels, comprising a revolving brake member actuated by said train, and a movable brakeblock supporting one of the wheels of the train and having a braking-surface held in frictional engagement with said revolving brake member by the driving force imparted to said train whereby the propelling strain upon said wheel will increase the friction-a1 contact between said parts in proportion to the force of said strain, as set forth.

8. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear wheels, comprising a revolving brake member actuated by said train, a movable brake-block supporting one of the wheels of the train, and means for normally pressing said block in a direction to throw it out of engagement with said revolving member, said block being pressed into frictional engagement with said member by the propelling force imparted to said supported wheel, as set forth.

4. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels, comprising a brake-wheel moving with said train as a part thereof, and a movable brake member supporting one of the wheels of the train in its operative position, said brake member extending from the wheel which it supports into engagement with said brake-wheel to form a connecting link between the two whereby the propelling force of the train exerted upon said block through said supported wheel of the train will tend to move said block and thereby establish a frictional contact between said block and said brake-wheel, for the purpose set forth.

5. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels, comprising a movable brakeblock having a brake-surface and supporting one of the wheels of the train in its operative relation to said train, said block being adapted to be moved by the impelling force of the train exerted thereupon through said supported wheel, and a revolving brake member actuated by said train and disposed in the path traversed by said brake-surface, whereby the strain of the propelling power communicated to said block through the wheel it supports moves said block and brings its braking-surface into frictional engagement with said brake-wheel, as specified.

6. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels,comprising a swinging member having a braking-surface on its free end and carrying the axle of one of the wheels of the train in said free end, and a brake-wheel actuated by said train, and disposed in the path of the braking-surface of said swinging member to prevent too great a movement of the free end of said member when the impelling force is exerted upon the train, whereby the impelling force of the train serves to bring said braking-surface into frictional contact with said brake-wheel, for the purpose set forth.

7. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels, comprising a swinging member having the axle of one of the wheels of the train journaled in its free end, a brakewheel moving with said train as a part thereof and disposed'in the path of said swinging member, and a spring pressing said swinging member and tending to hold its free end out of engagement with said brake wheel, the strain of the propelling power upon said axle establishing a frictional contact between said swinging member and said brake-wheel, the intensity of said contact being in proportion to the power exerted on the train, as set forth.

8. A controller for a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels, comprising a movable brake member having the axle of one of the wheels of the train journaled therein, and a brakewheel moving with said train as a part thereof and disposed in the path of said movable member, the latter being yieldingly held in its normal position out of touch with said brakewheel, the strain of the propelling power upon said axle establishing a frictional contact between said movable member and said brakewheel,as specified.

9. In a train of spring-actuated gear-wheels, a movable support for one of the wheels of the train, whereby a part of the impelling force of the train is imparted to said movable support, and means for utilizing the force imparted to said support to offer frictional resistance to the movement of said train, as specified.

10. A train of spring-actuated gear-wheels having a movable brake member having a braking-surface, a master-wheel, a brakewheel moving with the train and athird wheel interposed in the train between the brakewheel and the master-wheel and journaled in the movable brake member, whereby the impelling force of the train imparted to said movable member, tends to move the same, said brake-wheel extending into the path traversed by said braking-surface when the movable member is moved as aforesaid by the impelling force of the train, whereby said brake member is brought into frictional engagement with the brake-wheel, as specified and for the purpose set forth.

11. A train of spring-actuated gear-wheels having a movable brake member; a masterwheel, a brake-wheel moving with the train and a third or intermediate wheel interposed in the train between the brake-wheel and the master-wheel and journaled in the movable brake member, whereby the impelling force of the train imparted by said third wheel to said movable member tends to move the same; said movable member extending into communication with said brake-wheel to limitthe movement of said third or intermediate wheel when acted upon by the impelling force of the train, to hold the same in proper mesh with the wheel to which it communicates force and to offer frictional resistance to the movement of said brake-wheel.

12. The combination with a train of springactuated gear-wheels, of a brake device having members of which one is movable and pressed toward the second member by the impelling force of the actuating-spring, said second member being a wheel moving with the train as a part thereof and disposed in the path of said lirst-named member, and aspring for pressing the first-named member in the opposite direction away from the said wheel, the force exerted by said spring being less than the maximum force of the actuatingspring and greater than the minimum force thereof, as set forth.

13. The combination with a train of gearwheels, and a spring for actuating the same, of a brake comprising a relatively fixed member moving with the train and a movable member, the latter being actuated by the spring of the train of gear-wheels to press it toward the fixed member, and a spring exerting pressure upon the movable member of the brake to move it in a direction opposite to that in which it is moved by the first-named spring, the force exerted by the second spring being less than the maximum force of the actuating-spring and greater than the minimum force thereof, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREAS HILLGREN.

Witnesses:

THEO. G. HosTnR, EVERARD BOLTON MARsnALL. 

